Category: Clawhammer

There is a Time – Clawhammer #Ukulele with Tablature

“There is a Time” was written by Rodney Dillard and Mitch Jayne and performed by their group, The Dillards, also known as The Darling Family, back in the early 1960s on The Andy Griffith Show. The most memorable performance was probably when Charlene Darling (Maggie Peterson) sang it. The Dillards’ version is straight-up bluegrass, but in one episode Andy Griffith played it and sang one verse in a very slow “folksie” style, which I really liked since it really highlighted the beautiful lyrics.

 

It’s become somewhat of a bluegrass standard and has been recorded by Alan Jackson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and others.

 

My version lands somewhere in between The Dillards and Andy Griffith as I played it clawhammer ukulele style at a medium speed. I’m posting two tablatures on my site — one basic and another more advanced. Neither is “exactly” what I played but the more advanced version is close to what I played. I actually recorded the song first then created the tablature afterwards, trying to emulate on tab what I was playing, but not being too exact about it since I probably didn’t play it exactly the same way each time. I played the break four times on my recording, and if you happen to hear a sour note during the second break it’s because I flubbed it up but didn’t want to have to record it again. I figure if I played everything perfectly I’d probably be rich and famous, but I don’t and I’m not so there ya go.

 

If you’re not familiar with the clawhammer stye and want to learn it, check out my free clawhammer uke tutorial here…

Clawhammer Uke Tutorial

there-is-a-time-basic

 

there-is-a-time-advanced
there-is-a-time

Dooley – Clawhammer #Ukulele with Tablature

“Dooley” was written by Rodney Dillard and recorded by his family group, The Dillards. They were also known as The Darling Family when they appeared on The Andy Griffith Show back in the 1960s, and this is one of the songs they played on the show. It’s been a popular bluegrass tune ever since.

I played it clawhammer style on the ukulele and you’ll need to know the basics of clawhammer to play it this way. Check out the four videos in my Clawhammer Uke Tutorial to learn…

Clawhammer Uke Tutorial

I am including tablature for the break that I played twice on my recording (at the beginning and after the 1st verse). I’m also including a simpler basic version with no bells or whistles. It might help as you’re learning to use the YouTube option to slow it down to half speed or whatever’s right for you. It’s not difficult but I played it pretty fast. You could learn it and play it at about half speed when you’re playing and it’ll still sound good.

dooley-advanced

The tab below is a stripped down version of the one above that was played on the uke video. It might help to learn the easy version first if you're having trouble with the more advanced one.

dooley-basic
dooley

Blue Ridge Mountain Girl – Clawhammer #Ukulele Accompaniment with Chords & Lyrics

I don’t know much about this song other than I learned it many years ago after hearing it on the 1987 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album “Hold On.” I’m not sure if it might have been on one of their earlier albums or if they might have picked it up from somebody else. Anyway, it’s been a favorite of mine over the years. It’s also been popular among bluegrass bands, most notably Blue Highway.

 

I played it here with clawhammer ukulele accompaniment.

 

If you’d like to learn the clawhammer style, you can find my clawhammer ukulele tutorial here:

Clawhammer Uke Tutorial

Love’s Gonna Live Here – Clawhammer #Ukulele Accompaniment with Chords & Lyrics

“Love’s Gonna Live Here” was a huge hit for Buck Owens in 1963. It spent 16 weeks at #1 on the Hot Country Singles chart, and after that, it was 49 years before another song would spend even 10 weeks at #1. I like the way it sounds clawhammer style so that’s the way I played it but, of course, you can just strum normally if you prefer. Just as a little intro I did a hammer-on on the 3rd string 4th fret with my pinkie while playing the G chord. Feel free to ignore that if you want to. Other than that it’s just straight clawhammer accompaniment.

Take Me Home, Country Roads – Clawhammer #Ukulele with Chords & Lyrics

One of John Denver’s biggest hits, from 1971. I played it clawhammer style in the key of F. That’s a full step down from the key of G, how it’s usually played on guitar, which makes it easier to hit the high notes when you’re singing. For this song the key of F seems easier to play than in the key of G if you’re okay with the dreaded Bb chord that gives a lot of people fits.